PANTHER-IPF, a landmark clinical trial testing commonly used therapies for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, was stopped in October 2011 for apparent harm caused to patients by prednisone and azathioprine. This news was released back then, but maybe you missed it, as did I (trial stoppages for safety reasons rarely are announced as loudly as they deserve).

In October 2011, they stopped the triple-therapy arm early, because (compared to placebo), more people getting triple therapy died (11% vs. 1%), were hospitalized (29% vs. 8%) and had serious adverse events (31% vs. 9%). The NAC and placebo arms will continue on.

NHLBI investigators will start publishing this in journals mid this year throughout next, they say.